Hip dysplasia

[Queenie6655]

Hello all

Posting for traffic as I tried some of the development threads and didn't find much

So my health visitor was here earlier

She said my dd has long leg longer than the other

She said there may be a strong chance she will need to wear a brace for months

Feel so upset by this
The paediatrician checked her over for an hour when she was two days old and she said all looked perfectly fine 😲😢😢😢😢😢😢😢

@Queenie6655 DS had this, it was picked up by a physio friend analysing his gait and spotting that he walked with slight rolling motion. He had operations to put pins and plates into both hip joints.
He is grown up now and works as a sports coach and personal trainer

I was born with hip dysplasia 56 years ago that wasn't discovered until I was 1, I was in hospital on traction for a couple of months, then spica casts & surgery when the casts didn't work. A harness is much easier than the old treatments. Hip dysplasia can be hereditary, ds had to be scanned at birth because of my history, his hips were fine but my niece had to have a harness as her hips were clicking.

@Ariela

I would pop her in cloth nappies asap if she isn't already - they're a bit bulkier but hold the hip in a better place, my friend was advised this by her GP for her girl, and when they saw her at the referral they were pleased to see them.

Ok sorry please excuse my stupidity

She is 2 weeks
Cloth nappies seem so big

Could two regular nappies work?
Or is there a way to buy cloth nappies for a 2 week old?

Thanks for the reply cxxxx

Cloth nappies seem so big

That's kind of the point! They need to be big to force the hips in to a froggy position. It's the froggy position that fixes some cases of hip dysplasia. The harness essentially pits them in a froggy position and allows the hips to seat themselves properly.

Ok I see

For some reason I thought they were for older kids

@Queenie6655 If you don't want the hassle of using cloth nappies as such, put one on her over a disposable. That way you'll get the necessary bulk to support her hip without having to worry about the washing or getting the fit right to prevent leaks. For the cheapest option, buy some terry squares and look at some YouTube videos to work out how to fit them.

Another thing (I'm not sure if anyone else has mentioned so apologies if I'm repeating myself) don't use a baby carrier like a Baby Bjorn where the legs hang straight down as these are terrible for hip health. You want one that holds their legs out so that their knees are level with their hips, like an Ergobaby or a wrap.

Honestly, like prior posters, my hip dysplasia wasn’t caught until I was a teen and resulted in two very painful surgeries with a week in the hospital for both. Although it’s upsetting, this is the best case scenario that they caught it young enough for a brace. Best wishes to you and dd!

Apparrently had double nappies due to hip dysplasia. I'm in my 50s now and I've been absolutely fine my entire life. Don't stress.

She's probably wrong about the onevkeg longer thing. A doctor told me this once but it wasn't true. It's very unusual and much more likely to be due to asymmetry in the hips which can be corrected.

It’s fantastic that your DD is only two weeks old. The sooner she goes into a harness the better. The purpose is to drive the hip bone into the socket while the bones are soft and still growing. This will create a deeper hip socket and solve the problem. A Pavlov harness is much better than a hard cast that would be required in an older baby. If you keep the harness on her constantly 24/7 in tension as instructed by the nurse, she has a good chance of being out of the harness before she will be ready to crawl or walk.

It’s really hard because the look so vulnerable. But consistency is key. Babyhood is the window of opportunity to fix this.

My DD had this as a baby. It was also caught early. She crawled one month later than her older sister. She is now an elite athlete.

This is going to be okay.

Often the creases at the tops of the legs are unequal & that is the first sign of hip dysplasia.

If your lo does have it, it's caught early enough to fix it! I had it when I was a baby, but it wasn't caught until 9 months and I needed an op at 1 year.

My DD1 was scanned at a few weeks old and was found to have it quite mildly - she ended up in the harness and is now absolutely fine!
My DD2 was scanned at 5 weeks, again because of my history, and she is currently 1 week in a harness. Hers is much more severe and there is zero click, because the hip has already dislocated and would have been missed without the scan. Thankfully, we hope it's caught early enough that the harness will be enough!

Once it was found, the Dr pointed out the additional crease on the bad leg, as well as how that leg was a tad shorter already.
I wouldn't waste money on the private scan - am sure you'll be seen soon as they won't want to delay! Quick ultrasound and that's it!

DD had a harness from five weeks. Honestly, the first couple of days were tough, but after that it just became normal. Working out which clothes worked best took a while- think we ended up with lots of plain babygrows in a larger size, then dresses over those. Unexpectedly, I found not being able to bath her the most difficult thing as time went on. She is now football mad and runs everywhere!

@Queenie6655

Ok I see

For some reason I thought they were for older kids

I used cloth on both mine from day 1.

Millie Macintosh from made in Chelsea - her first daughter had it and I know she put info on her Instagram page about it.

You can buy clothing that works with the brace from M&S.

Only reason I remember this is my daughter had suspected HD and it was looking like she would need a brace at her first scan but at the second scan it had corrected itself.

You guys are fab

Thanks so so much

I'm just preparing myself for it all and accepting that it will be a few months of brace wearing then hopefully all ok

Just upsetting and that's natural as she is only tiny

Will keep you all updated xxxxxxxxxx

Honest to god, better have it treated now than end up like me in a wheelchair for years and full hip replacement aged 39 because of untreated hip dysplasia.
She won't have a clue about any of it and it sets her up for a pain free time.
My mum tortures herself about how she didn't push harder to get me treated when she first thought something was wrong.
Good luck to both of you

@balloonsintrees

Honest to god, better have it treated now than end up like me in a wheelchair for years and full hip replacement aged 39 because of untreated hip dysplasia. She won't have a clue about any of it and it sets her up for a pain free time. My mum tortures herself about how she didn't push harder to get me treated when she first thought something was wrong. Good luck to both of you

Sorry to hear that

Thanks for your response

Hope it goes ok for her xxx

I was under the hospital until I was 15, they wanted to do a femoral osteotomy to turn my knees around as they turn in, my parents refused to let me have it done then, I wish they had because I will need knee replacements before much longer & will need the osteotomy before I can have them done so that there isn't one side of my knees wearing out more than the other. Get it sorted while she is small because the operations will be more major the older she gets.

Hi @Queenie6655 I have not had a chance to read all the replies but as most have said dont worry ( Easier said than done i know )

Hip dysplasia is runs rife through my family and seems to affect the women more severely than the men.
My DGM ( if she was still alive would be about 100 yrs old now ) became a recluse because of it and the pain it caused.

My DM and her siblings ( would be about 70/ 80 now ) had to wear callipers from 2 yrs to about 6 then DM had both hips replaced at 35 yrs old most of her sibling did too between 40 and 60 yrs old.

I had a brace ( I am almost 50 ) from about 10 months to when i was 2 .
I have young cousins that are about 3 now , they had plaster cast for about 10 / 14 weeks

and one very young cousin that has just come out of his cast after only 6 weeks .

In a long winded way ( sorry ) what I am trying to say that things over the past few years have come on in leaps and bounds , and while |I am well aware of the fact I will need my hips replacing at some point , my younger cousins wont ,

The two three years olds ( different families ) can charge around with all the other kids with absolutely no problems at all

The youngest is still finding his feet but is showing no signs of any issues what so ever .

I am sure DC will be the same

@Queenie6655 if this turns out to be an issue (IF - as someone upstream said, HV could be wrong), please don’t be too upset. It’s been picked up very early and while things can be done very quickly - and before your baby will have any memory of it. I’m 50 this year and both of my hips were dislocated (traction for broken legs - birth trauma). They blamed my floppy, wonky legs on brain damage and it wasn’t until I was nearly 3 that a HV realized the issue. I had the brace and then calipers until I was 8. (Lots of bullying in the 70’s!I still have a deformed leg that doesn’t fit into the socket correctly and causes pain - it’s called a Miserable Malalignment, and I’ll attest to that. Old age is looking fabulous, not! So - Don’t be hard on yourself or feel guilty. Be grateful and pride yourself in doing the right thing for your baby.

I would not be ‘heartbroken’ to have a baby with hip dysplasia . A baby that needs heart surgery at 2 days old? Sure I would be (and was) heartbroken then. Not for an easily treatable hip problem

@betwixtlives

I would not be ‘heartbroken’ to have a baby with hip dysplasia . A baby that needs heart surgery at 2 days old? Sure I would be (and was) heartbroken then. Not for an easily treatable hip problem

That does sound very difficult, I hope your child is well now. I agree hip dysplasia is not life threatening but while the treatment can be easy, from experience, I can tell you it isn't necessarily.

It's fortunate to be picked up at birth, my eldest DDs wasn't diagnosed until 14mths, which led to 3 surgeries including her femur being surgically broken and put into a frog cast for 3 months, followed by another 6 months in double casts, now at 28 she's waiting on a hip replacement.
My second DD was diagnosed at birth and only had the 8 wks in plastic mould.
Her sister likes to tell her she suffered for her
The earlier it's picked up the better the outcome.

My mum was heartbroken when I was diagnosed, she had gone to the hospital on her own expecting to be told it was nothing & was told I was going to be admitted to go on traction the next day. To this day she can't remember leaving the hospital & walking down to where my nan worked. After that she never went to the hospital on her own, my nan or my dad always went as well. I was on traction for a month before being put in a spica cast for 6 months, I was one when I was diagnosed & 20 months when I finally finished treatment, I was kept as an outpatient until I was 15.